Lindy

Seems strange that I've lindy-hopped for over 3 years now... but have yet to talk about what it means to me.

What is lindy-hop? It started off as a replacement for acapella, as a way to form a social network after having uprooted and dragged myself back to Singapore. But after dancing for 3 years, it's become more than that, cliched as it sounds.

Lindy is a way to express myself and connect with other people. Deep down at heart, I'm an insecure geek who always wants to be liked :) So I appreciate lindy cos i can stop worrying about looking "cool" and just be my normal nerdy self on the dance floor. At the same time, it's a way to enjoy and connect with good music, with awesome lyrics, with amazing singers.

One dilemma in lindy is : am I dancing for my partner, or are we dancing for the audience? This is something that i've been thinking about after taking part in a competition or two. The answer is probably that it depends, and that the truth probably lies somewhere between the two. And that's one of the main joys of lindy. That there is always something more to discover, whether it be in the connection between a follow and a lead, in the interplay between dance and music that we like to call expression and musicality, in the lines, in the body isolations. Despite the plateaus, the troughs, the sheer fun that comes with a lindy breakthrough is plain exhilirating.

But most importantly, lindy for me is about the people. Lindy is not a solo dance... It is a partnership between the lead and follow. The magic lies in the connection, the interplay between the frames of both dancers, the dialogue between the two of us and the music. I'll never forget the dance between Bill Borgidda and Sing at SeaJam in 03. Sheer artistry and magic.

Beyond the dance, however, is the community. I've talked about aspects of the community before. About how it rocks. About how it's great that the people there aren't like the stereotypical cookie-cutter Singaporeans. About how above all, people enjoy each other's company :)

Wanna lindy today?